Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-07-27
A Great Days Work.

SPRING HILL, M. L., July Z0.-lSpeclaI
to The Miner. THE long anticipated |
change in the guage OF the Utah & Northern
occurred to-day and was one OF the most |
successful affairs in railroading in America. |
The last Utah & Northern train left Butte |
at O'Clock Sunday afternoon and imme- |
diately after it passed Silver Bow then the
work of widening began in earnest and was
continued till darkness compelled the men
to stop. The work had been carried far
enough, however, so that by O'Clock Sun
day evening the north fifty miles were COM
pleted and a special train OF railway Off
cials and few others interested in the
change took a special train furnished by
the Montana Union, at South Butte, at
lilo Monday morning. in charge OF Con-
ductor w. K. SHEPPARD, Orv'lle Adams,
engineer, and General Agent Baldwin. At
Silver Bow they wert .. med by Roadmas-
ter Douglass and j. o. McCarty, and the
journey south was resumed.
THE FIRST FIVE MILES
Were run in twelve minutes and tho twelve
miles to Feeley in twenty minutes. The d.
vide crossed and Bushton and Melrose were
soon passed. Dillon was reached at S:1b
and after a short stop for breakfast the
Journey was resumed and Spring Hill was
reached at 1926. Here stop was made
for two and a half hours for dinner and
the train pulled out for Beaver Canyon
where it was held for a special from Poca-
teilo with Superintendent BlickeDsderter
and party, which reached there at Z
o'clock. The changing OF the gauge Of the
Utah and Northern is one Of the most
rapid and radical changes ever made on a
railroad There was not a jsr to hinder in
the slightest degree the fulfillment OF the
routine laid down by the manae'
ers. The programme laid down
| was that to every section oi
six miles there would be stationed a FORE
man and twenty men who were to COM
| mence the work at u stated time. A purse
of $25 was offered on Roadmaster Douglas
division to the section that would compete
the task in the shortest time. A similar
purse was offered on MIR. Fanning's divi
sion. This created considerable rivalry BE-
tween the differ ent forces, and the men al
exerted themselves to the utmost to have
the na me of winning, as we'll as the purse
Some OF the men
| CAMPED ON THE GROUND
in order to get good start in the emorning
It is said of Foreman Mccarthy that b.
even removed one rail from under tn
sleeper on the last train down in order tt
get good start. The best record of th'
day was made by Section Foreman Dow
ling who moved his six mile portion in tn
astonishingly short time of three hour
and forty-three minutes. The next section
completed was that of foreman j. McCarty
who finished his division in four hours
All the other divisions were completet
within five hours. The condition of tn
road was most surprising and it was pro
nounced by Engineer Adams of the Mon
; tana Union as fully as good before bein
ballasted as any of the Trunk lines. Be
tween Merose and Glen and Apex an
Dillon the train made
FORTY-sIx MILES PER ROUR.
l and the authorities state that within te
! days sixty miles an hour can safely b
3 made. Probably the most importan
change to standard gauge is the improve
merits just this date completed in Beave
Canyon. Som, thing has been mentione
before OF changes being made, but the exac
extent is not known to the public. Th
:. alignment has been so materially change
i that saving OF 500 feet has heen made i
j. the distance through the canyon. Thi
: change reduces the old maximum grade {
1913 feet to 126 feet per mile, and the max